Farmington River News

Transcription

1 Farmington River News Save paper, get FRWA newsletters online and see our photos in their full color glory! Go to to sign up. Issues and Activities in the Farmington River Watershed. Farewell to a Hero: Pat Keener When I first arrived as FRWA s new Executive Director, the outgoing Director, Eric Hammerling, provided me with a short list of imperatives. One of them was, You need to meet Pat Keener. He made sure that Pat was one of the very first people to sit down with me and transfuse vital information about how the Farmington River is protected, preserved, and promoted, who s involved, and how it all got to be that way. Eric was wise. Pat did not put herself forward as an authority, but she was indeed a fount of information, and just as important, a source of inspiration for a newcomer to the river. She was a long-term member (for several years the chair) of the Farmington River Coordinating Committee, the group of volunteers charged with administering the Management Plan for the Wild and Scenic section of the river from Colebrook to Canton. Many times in those hectic first few months I needed Pat to tell me a vital bit of history, explain a complicated bit of politics, provide the right contact, or just be someone to talk to. She politely portrayed herself as the amateur talking to the expert, when in truth, she was the perfect example of how someone who loves a river can be its best spokesperson and most credible defender. A teacher by profession, Pat tirelessly taught all sorts of people how to take good care of a river, and had a gift for recruiting others to the cause. It ll be fun! she would say, encouragingly. And with Pat, it was, thanks to her gift for celebrating everything, even adversity, and enlivening even the 17th item on a meeting agenda. Pat passed away on July 8, to the great loss of her fellow river folk. Since then, more than one person has stepped forward for a river project because we have to keep up Pat s work. Many have also contributed to the Pat Keener Memorial and to FRCC s Pat Keener Scholarship Fund. Though we miss her, we can smile at how pleased Pat would be to know that she s still inspiring recruits for her favorite river. Perhaps you? Inquiries about memorial donations can be directed to Eileen at x205. One

2 The Farmington River Watershed Association Board & Staff Officers President - Matt Reichin Vice-President - Diana Goode Vice-President - Sia Bauer Treasurer - David Donaldson, Jr. Secretary - Michael Gagne Directors Susan Barney Michael Feldman Cherie Griffith-Dunn Anthony Healy Sarah Hincks John Laudati Debbie Leonard Alesia Maltz John E. Robinson David Sinish Marlene Snecinski Staff Executive Director Eileen Fielding Education & Outreach Coordinator Aimee Petras Water Quality Coordinator Alisa Phillips-Griggs GIS Specialist Jeff Bolton The Farmington River Watershed Association is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation and protection of the Farmington River and its Watershed through research, education and advocacy. Save the Date! FRWA s 57 th Annual Meeting! October 27 th, 6-9 pm, Farmington Country Club FRWA s 57th Annual Meeting includes keynote speaker Steve Gephard, Fisheries Biologist, Inland Fisheries Division, CT DEP. Steve will update us on the work of helping migratory fishes such as Atlantic salmon, shad, alewife, and herring regain their historic routes from the seas to the streambeds of the Farmington River Watershed. Speaking of Fish, did you miss our Fab Fish For the Farmington Fundraiser? You will have another chance to bid on one of our few remaining fish. Fish art not your thing? Then bid on an Ovation Guitar from KMC Music and/or a kayak from Collinsville Canoe & Kayak. Still, we are actively seeking Silent Auction items such as restaurant, store and personal care gift certificates, sporting equipment and venue tickets. If you have an item that you would like to donate to the Watershed Association, please call us. Check your mailbox in early October for our Annual Meeting invitation, or call and RSVP now at Tickets are $40 per member, $45 per non-member. We hope to see you there! FRWA Aquatic Insect Sampling Workshops 9 am to 2 pm Saturday, Sept. 25, Winding Trails, Farmington Saturday, Oct. 9, Squire s Tavern, Pleasant Valley FRWA is conducting two Aquatic Macroinvertebrate Sampling Workshops this fall; one in Connecticut s Upper Farmington River Watershed and one in the Lower Farmington River Watershed. Volunteers are needed to help sample and identify aquatic insects for water quality monitoring. The workshops begin indoors with instruction in macroinvertebrate collection and identification and the use of aquatic organisms in water quality monitoring. Learn about aquatic insects such as this stonefly at the Aquatic Insect Sampling Workshop. Following the indoor training and lunch, teams will move out to sample various Farmington River Watershed streams. Participants wade into the water, dislodge the organisms into a net by scrubbing the rocks, sort and identify the different invertebrates present, and preserve a representative sample for verification. The program follows CT DEP protocol and results help FRWA and the CT DEP monitor water quality changes in the Farmington River Watershed. Training is free and lunch will be provided, bring waders or other footwear to wade into the water. Program will be held rain or shine; please dress for the weather. Space is limited, advance registration is required. Please contact FRWA at or river@frwa.org to register. The activist is not the man who says the river is dirty. The activist is the man who cleans up the river. - Ross Perot Two

3 Wild & Scenic Film Festival on Tour - Friday November 12, 2010 The Wild & Scenic Film Festival is a collection of films intended to inspire people and unite communities to heal the earth. In just a few years, it has become the largest and most energized environmental film festival in the United States with an Opening Festival each year in Nevada City, CA and an On Tour program hosted by environmental groups in over 115 communities across the United States and Internationally. The festival showcases environmental and adventure films that illustrate the Earth s beauty, the challenges facing our planet, and the work communities are doing to protect the environment. Through these films, Wild & Scenic both informs people about the state of the world and inspires them to take action. FRWA is excited to once again partner with REI West Hartford to bring our 3rd Annual Wild and Scenic Film Festival on Tour into the Farmington River Watershed on Friday evening November 12, REI West Hartford is hosting this benefit for the FRWA as part of REI s stewardship commitment to encourage the active conservation of nature. REI is also a sponsor of our 2010 Clean-up and nominated and awarded the FRWA a $7,000 grant for a riverside buffer project (see page 7). The festival is a fun and inspiring event for all and a great opportunity to invite friends and family to come together and enjoy an evening of inspirational environmental cinematography, with a green social networking intermission to benefit the FRWA. All proceeds of the Hartford Wild & Scenic Environmental Film Festival on Tour will benefit the FRWA. Advance tickets can be purchased online at or at REI West Hartford at 71 Raymond Road, West Hartford, CT, WHEN: WHERE: TICKETS: November 12th, 2010 Doors open at 6:30pm.; films roll at 7:05 pm. Ethel Walker School, Ferguson Theatre, 230 Bushy Hill Road, Simsbury, CT $12.50 before Nov. 1, $15 in advance, $20 at the door. Wading Upstream into Massachusetts How does the fish cross the road? Partly to answer this question, FRWA has kicked off a three year project in upper watershed towns, chiefly Becket, Otis, and Sandisfield. Our mission is to address recommendations by the MA Department of Ecological Restoration and the Berkshire Regional Planning Commission for documenting water quality and fish habitat in the headwaters of the Farmington. A primary goal of the project is to spot stream crossings that bar fish travel. Structures such as culverts, conveying a stream under a road, sometimes sit too far above the streambed for fish to navigate the crossing easily especially those species that are not good jumpers. This can cut fish habitat into isolated segments, especially during low water periods. (Imagine being trapped in a small vulnerable neighborhood, and you have the fish or stream salamander s perspective on this.) FRWA hired Mike Jastremski and Hart Rotblatt to spend several weeks on MA roads, checking stream crossings. Using a survey method practiced throughout Massachusetts, Mike and Hart evaluated about 60 crossings (double our goal for year 1!) with the help of Jerry Eaves of Pioneer Valley Trout Unlimited. They also contacted town officials and Otis Reservoir property owners to learn about local activities concerning the river, the reservoir, and roads. On a lighter note, they offered stream exploration programs for families at Tolland State Forest too. Meanwhile, Karen Stainbrook, of Watershed Assessment Associates, sampled benthic macroinvertebrates at several sites to assess water quality. Now the analysis is underway--stay tuned for the results of all this field work! Many thanks are due to our project partners: Carrie Banks of the Massachusetts Riverways Program and Scott Jackson of UMass Amherst for training, as well as David Carlow and Meshell Bordeleau for hosting our activities at Tolland State Forest, plus all who gave of their time to talk with us this summer. This project is funded by the Massachusetts Environmental Trust, which is supported through the purchase of Massachusetts environmental license plates Three

4 FRWA Holding 21 st Annual River Clean-Up! Last year, over 300 volunteers braved the damp misty day to participate in FRWA s 21 st Annual River Clean Up. We are securing all the supplies for the big day (gloves, bags, napkins, apple cider, etc) and lining up our lunch and breakfast offerings for volunteers. We are on the lookout for pick-up trucks or other large vehicles that can help us get trash to the dumpsters donated by Waste Material Trucking Company of Unionville, CT. REI is our new sponsor this year and will be handing our free wicking tshirts to volunteers. So where will you be? We do need lots of volunteers to come and help us make this Clean-Up our best yet! Join us to meet your watershed neighbors and help us keep your neighborhood clean. It will be a fun filled day you will never forget. Our Clean-Up Locations Avon: The Lions Club of Avon takes responsibility for cleaning Fisher Meadows and they do a great job, year after year. (See photo at right.) Barkhamsted/New Hartford: We meet at the Church Pool Parking Lot. This stretch of the river is the most fished segment of the most fished river in the state of Connecticut. Bristol/Pequabuck River Watershed Association: Meets in Forestville Village Center between 8-8:15 am. Call Mary R. to register at (860) Burlington/Farmington: We meet at the Farmington River Trail near the intersection of Routes 4 and 179. This is our most popular site thanks to area residents and the Irving Robbins Middle School s Green Team! Granby: Folks at this site park at McLean Game Refuge and walk across Route 10/202 to clean up our Salmon Brook. Park River Sites: Coordinated by Mary Rickel Pelletier from the Park River Watershed Revitialization Initiative. Sites in Hartford and West Hartford will be available. Call Mary at (860) Above, Lions Club volunteers at Fisher Meadows in Avon. Below, Irving Robbins Middle School Students in Farmington. Photos: Harry Crossman Simsbury: Meet on the front lawn of FRWA headquarters. This is also the place to grab some breakfast before heading out or get some pizza and other lunch items after you are done. Call FRWA to sign-up yourself, your family, or your group for the Clean-Up at (860) , we will determine the best location for you to go. We thank all future and past volunteers that have participated in our 22 years of clean-ups. In addition, all of this could not have been achieved without the ongoing generous underwriting of this event by Stanley Black & Decker. We re glad to support community volunteers who put so much effort into river stewardship. commented Tim Perra, Manager of Communications and Community Relations for Stanley Black & Decker Four

5 Water Quality Lab Gets a Big Boost! This past July, the FRWA Water Quality Monitoring Program was awarded a $27,800 grant from the Richard P. Garmany Fund at the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving. The grant will support and expand the capacity for water quality monitoring in the towns along the lower Farmington River. It will double our capacity for analyzing river water samples for bacteria by providing an additional Colilert system for incubating samples. It also allows the purchase of a highquality stereo microscope and lighting system for identifying the stream macroinvertebrates that are indicators of water quality. In addition, the grant supports staff time and lab supplies. Because we check surface water quality frequently, our work in the lower Farmington helps the towns and the state identify areas that may need further attention or action, explained Alisa Phillips-Griggs, water quality and projects coordinator. If there s a continuous record of water quality for a particular spot, it s easier to document a change for better or worse over time. FRWA s sampling and analysis is scientifically sound and very cost-effective. Much of the work is carried out by volunteers who have expertise in the procedures, and FRWA s lab space is provided by the Town of Simsbury. Truly a community-level effort that produces useful data, this is a winning combination! Richard P. Garmany was a longtime resident of Avon and an executive of Aetna. Before he died in 2008, he created through his will the Richard P. Garmany Fund at the Hartford Foundation, with one of its focus area to be nature conservancy and preservation. The Hartford Foundation for Public Giving is the community foundation for the 29-town Greater Hartford region, dedicated to improving the quality of life for area residents for the past 85 years. The Foundation receives gifts from thousands of generous individuals and families, and last year, awarded grants of more than $25 million to a broad range of area nonprofit organizations. For more information about the Hartford Foundation, visit or call FRWA a Member of EarthShare New England FRWA has been a member of Earth Share New England (ESNE) since We receive approximately $5,000 in donations yearly from people just like you contributing to EarthShare through workplace giving campains. Want to more about Earthshare? Read their FAQ s below. What does EarthShare Do? ESNE offers employers and employees in our six state region an easy and effective way to contribute to its 75 member organizations that work every day as stewards of our planet. We do it through workplace payroll contribution campaigns the easiest and most-cost-effective ways of raising money for the nonprofit sector. How does EarthShare New England work? ESNE manages workplace giving campaigns for its member charities to raise vital unrestricted funding for them. In ESNE's payroll contribution drives, employees may pledge a small amount of each paycheck to help support the causes they care about. What causes can I support through EarthShare New England? With ESNE, you don't have to choose between caring for public health or our air, water, land or wildlife. ESNE's member charities represent a wide array of environmental issues -- just one general donation to ESNE can touch all of these causes. On the other hand, if you have a preference you may direct your gift to one or more specific member organizations. How much of my donation goes to the member charities? Donors can give to our individual member charities, or they can give one gift to ESNE that is shared amongst all of our member charities. This means that our charities actually receive more than 100% of their designated donations. How does EarthShare qualify its member charities? EarthShare requires applicant organizations to meet numerous criteria before they're considered for membership. Our strict eligibility criteria were established so donors can be sure ESNE represents outstanding charities that operate with the highest possible ethical and professional standards. All current members undergo annual reviews to ensure their continued adherence to our membership requirements. Five

6 Park River Plan Sets the Stage for Action The North Branch Park River is not within the Farmington Valley, but over two years ago FRWA took a hands-acrossthe-ridgeline approach to help its sister watershed. We joined a collaboration that resulted in a management plan for the North Branch of the Park, completed this past July. The project was supported by a grant by the CT DEP to the engineering firm Fuss & O Neill. FRWA s role in the Fuss & O Neill work plan was to help with mapping the watershed and its land uses, assist with reviewing town regulations and policies in the North Park s watershed, and do the bulk of community outreach. This was a daunting assignment: learning the management issues and stakeholders in a complex urban watershed in a new set of communities, including Hartford! Luckily we had an expert on the Park River available in the form of Mary Rickel Pelletier, head of the Park River Though highly urbanized, the Park River can provide habitat and scenic beauty. Watershed Revitalization Initiative (PRWRI). We adopted PRWRI as a project for the duration of the study, and Mary headed up the Park River work. Already well acquainted with the Park River and its communities, Mary was able to assemble a steering committee, get community input, organize meetings and workshops, develop a North Park website, navigate a labyrinth of regulations and commissions, and act as the Park River s most passionate advocate throughout the process. (To see the Park s fine qualities and its potential, visit The completed plan is a gold mine of ideas for community improvement and restoration of a water resource. It contains plenty to do for everyone, whether a government agency, municipality, community organization, property owner, or Scout troop looking for a good deed. And the ideas travel well-- a look through this plan could easily inspire projects in the Farmington Valley. We re glad FRWA could be part of this process and we salute the project s many partners for their hard work! To see the whole North Park River Management Plan, go to: watershed_management/wm_plans/nbparkr/nbpr_wbp.pdf REI Grants $7,000 for Still River Watershed Project FRWA has received a grant from to install a rain garden/vegetative buffer and other low-impact development technologies at the Northwest Connecticut Community College (NCCC). The project will focus on reducing stormwater runoff at an appropriate location on the NCCC Campus. Students and Faculty at the Arts & Sciences building will be involved in the project from planning and design, plant selection, invasive removal, installation and long term maintenance. Additional volunteers will be sought through REI store outreach and during the REI-sponsored Wild & Scenic Film Festival (see page 3). This rain garden and riverside buffer project is part of a larger project in the town of Winsted/Winchester as FRWA is currently investigating and mapping the land use and pollutant loads throughout the Still River watershed with funding support from the Farmington River Coordinating Committee. FRWA s interest in improving the Still River stems from FRWA s water quality testing; results show that the Still River, a tributary of the Farmington River, is a major source of pollution. Project planning will begin this winter and there will be plenty of volunteer opportunities for this project in the spring. Stay tuned! Volunteers Needed for Spring 2011 Fundraiser FRWA s Fundraising Committee is looking for a few volunteers interested in Fundraising and Event Planning to assist them with a Spring 2011 Fundraiser. If you have experience in Event Planning, Marketing, Fundraising or just want to help, send an to Board Member Sarah Hincks at SarahHincks@gmail.com or call the FRWA office at Six

7 Lapsed Members: We Want You Back! In Early September we sent a lapsed member appeal out to members who haven t renewed in a while. If you haven t sent in you payment, renewal is easy: Just return the membership renewal slip and payment in the envelope provided and we can add you back to the ranks of folks that are working to protect our precious Watershed. New Members: Won t You Join Us? If you are not a member of FRWA and are reading this now, think about this: What does the Farmington River Mean to You? Does it make you think about heading out for some hiking, fishing or kayaking? Or do you drink the water coming from your tap that had its origins in the Barkhamsted Reservoir? Membership with FRWA has lots of benefits, including protecting this area s local treasure. See below for great member benefits. You can show your membership card at these participating businesses for special discounts. [If you don t see your favorite retailer listed here, consider asking them if they will provide our members benefits. Call to give us the contact details or have them call us.] Discounts on FRWA events & 20% discount on FRWA merchandise NEW! Third night free when you stay two nights, Maplewood Lodging, Otis, MA EMS in West Hartford & Avon - 10% discount excluding bikes & boats % off any service at Tunxis Medical Massage, LLC % discount on in-stock accessories at Collinsville Canoe & Kayak Store $5 off canoe rentals at Huck Finn Adventures, Canton % off purchases over $50 at Vincent Sports Shop, Inc., Simsbury % off framing of FRWA posters - Artful Framer, Avon % discount at Blue Sky Foods, excluding catering % discount at Joe s Bait & Tackle, Windsor Locks Please cut out the form below and mail it back to us, or go online to and click on Donate Now! Name: Address: City: State: Zip Code: Phone Number: Check one: I want to renew my membership now: $40 (Individual) $60 (Family) $120 $250 $500 $ other amount New Member $10 $25 $40 $60 $120 $150 $250 Gift Membership to In Memory donation to Other Donation Amount, please specify: $ Please send acknowledgment to (if different from above): Name: Address: City: State: Zip Code: I have enclosed my check payable to FRWA, or please charge my MasterCard or Visa. Card #: Expiration Date: Amount $ Name on Card: Signature Please send to: Farmington River Watershed Association, 749 Hopmeadow Street, Simsbury, CT Credit card donations may be phoned in to Aimee Petras at (860) x. 201 or submitted online at via our secure online contributions server. Seven

8 FRWA 2010 Calendar of Events Date Event Location Sept. 25 Aquatic Insect Sampling Workshop, 9 am - 2 pm Winding Trails, Farmington Oct. 2 23rd Annual River Clean-up 9:30 am - 2:30 pm Various Locations Oct.9 Aquatic Insect Sampling Workshop, 9 am - 2 pm Squire s Tavern, Pleasant Valley Oct. 27 FRWA 57th annual meeting, 6-9 pm Farmington Country Club Nov. 12 Wild & Scenic Film Festival; Doors open at 6:30 pm Ethel Walker School, Ferguson Theatre Please RSVP to (860) ext. 0 to ensure we have adequate food and supplies for all events. Check the Events page at for more information on our events. Printed on 100% recycled paper, always. The Farmington River Watershed Association 749 Hopmeadow Street, Simsbury, CT Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage PAID Simsbury, CT Permit No. 26 Protecting The Farmington River, For You, For All, Forever.